Argonaut | 3.8.2011

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Argonaut U N I V E R S I T Y O F I DA H O

the Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Sports

Men’s basketball is at No. 4 seed going into the WAC Tournament this week, page 7

Opinion

An 8.4 percent fee increase could be more reasonable than you think. Read ‘Our View,’ page 13

Renovation continues Kibbie Dome remodels aren’t over Brittany Kiser
 Argonaut

University of Idaho students, staff, donors and fans will be pleasantly surprised upon completion of the Kibbie Dome renovation project, said Nick Popplewell, Athletic department marketing director. “It’s going to be a night and day difference in terms of how the facility’s going to look, how it’s going to feel,” Popplewell said. “It’s going to be a premier facility, I can’t underscore that enough . . . I think people should be really excited about this project going on.” Guy Esser, the Department of Architectural and Engineering Services project manager, said there are currently two different

projects going on simultaneously in the Dome. The first is phase two of the Life Safety upgrades. Esser said phase one of the Life Safety upgrades to the Kibbie was completed during the last two years. It entailed the replacement of the west wall, fire sprinklers in the roof, the start of the smoke exhaust systems, new handrails and renovating the fire alarm systems. “That was all covered as part of phase one,” he said. “The university went out and got more funding to cover the last part of the project that hadn’t been completed, which is essentially replacing the east wall and finishing the smoke exhaust system.

Zach Edwards | Argonaut

Fences and signs warn people to stay out of the construction zones inside the Kibbie Dome. Construction will continue for the next several weeks.

see KIBBIE, page 6

Proposed fee increase Administration announces 8.4 percent change in tuition to go to the SBOE Kelcie Moseley and Elizabeth Rudd Argonaut

If the Idaho State Board of Education approves the University of Idaho’s proposal, students can expect to see an 8.4 percent increase in tuition this fall. The amount works out to about $450 per student for the academic year. Doug Baker, provost and executive vice president, said UI’s budget has seen a $23 million cut during the last three years on the education side alone, and $31 million total. In addition to the tuition increase, every college will receive a 1.5 percent cut on average, and the vice president for finance and administration will see a 3 percent cut. Under the proposed increase, tuition and fees would jump from $2,701 per semester to $2,927 for Idaho residents. All but $5.26 of the increase is tuition-based, because it can be most flexibly used across the budget, Executive Director of Planning and Budget Keith Ickes, said. “This is the only time you’ll be here, so if the state cuts the budget, it will affect you,” Ickes said. Stephen Parrott, ASUI president, said the $5.26 increase to student activity fees was intentionally kept low because of the anticipated budget cut from the state. Though Parrott originally campaigned and hoped for a lower student fee increase, he said he realized it was not worth cutting the quality of education students receive. “We started looking at it as, ‘Is it

worth it to fight for no increase and have the university lay off more staff and institute furloughs again?’ … That’s kind of how we came to support the increase,” Parrott said. In total, the university is facing an approximate $12.4 million hole, and the increases will cover about half of that gap. To fully cover the cost without fee increases, the Colleges of Business, Education and Art and Architecture would have to be eliminated. “What we’re going through is not unlike what other states are going through,” said Bruce Pitman, Dean of Students. “This is not an Idaho-only issue … it’s a struggle that’s taking place throughout the West.” Pitman said Idaho takes a particularly hard hit in higher education partly because of its politics. “There is such an extreme commitment to not increasing tax revenue,” Pitman said. “So there is a ceiling on potential revenue.” Pitman said they plan to hold a public forum open to students shortly after spring break to explain the budget situation. Pitman said they tried to get feed back from prior to winter break about the cuts, but few responded. At this point, he said they are about 40 percent of the way through the process and will take the proposal to SBOE in April. Until then, the increase is unofficial. Despite the continued struggle, Ickes said there is hope that the worst is coming to an end. “There’s a potential for this year to be a turning point for the university,” he said.

8.4% $448

increase

per student

Tuition and fees increased

2,927

2,701

University facing

$12.4

million hole

“‘Is it worth it to fight for no increase and have the university lay off more staff and institute furloughs again?’ … That’s kind of how we came to support the increase.” Stephen Parrott ASUI president

Jazz Festival a success Sarah Yama Argonaut

The Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival is not designed just for entertainment, it is also designed for education, and this year’s festival was successful in doing so. “(The festival) went wonderfully,” said Steve Remington, executive director of Jazz Fest. “Of course this was my

first event and I didn’t really know entirely what to expect with the weather and the volunteers, but it all came together. I was pleasantly surprised at the extent the community came together.” Despite the weather, the 44th annual Jazz Fest sold a total of 9,539 tickets. Friday night topped the ticket sales with 4,897, Saturday had 3,073, Thursday 902 and Wednesday 667.

see

JAZZ, page 6

Katherine Brown | Argonaut

Dan Noble back at UI Kelli Hadley Argonaut

People who are diagnosed with mental conditions typically go through it in a private manner. For Daniel Noble, this was not the case. Noble, former University of Idaho financial specialist, suffered a manic episode when, on the morning of Dec. 7, 2009, he drove to Pullman and hit two students with his Pontiac Grand Am. Both students had a broken leg from the collisions and one had a cut on his forehead. Noble faced two felony charges of vehicular assault and hit-and-run following the incident. After spending time in jail and Eastern State Hospital in Medical Lake, Wash., Noble was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and acquitted of the charges on terms of temporary insanity. A psychiatrist cleared him to work again, but by that time Noble’s position at UI had been cut. Noble said finding out his job had been removed was tough, especially because he felt his services were necessary to the school’s financial issues. “It was kinda rough on me ‘cause I couldn’t understand how they would still do the work without me,” Noble said. Noble faced unemployment until he was recently rehired to the UI staff — this time as a senior financial tech in the Human Resources department, where he will do budget work. With the bipolar prognosis and medication, Noble said he has been able to get back to life as a UI employee. One of the biggest struggles he said he faced following the incident was that his medical condition was broadcast so openly. “It was a really different thing because … I was publicly diagnosed,” Noble said. “That part of it was really kind of rough, that people knew publicly what I had.” But Noble said learning of the condition answered questions he had about other incidents that had happened throughout his life. He said he had no idea he had a mental condition, especially because there is no history of bipolar disorder in his family. “When they finally diagnosed it and when they started giving me literature on it … I started reflecting a little bit on my life and thinking back and saying ‘Oh, that explains

A group of students wait for the Hamp’s Club performance to begin Feb. 25 in the Kibbie Dome.

see

NOBLE, page 6

Students campaign for future leadership Molly Spencer Argonaut

Government on the University of Idaho campus operates under a federal model with an executive, legislative and judicial branch. Petitions for the positions of presi-

News, 1

dent and vice president and senator were due March 4. The candidates who win the spring 2011 elections will take office April 28 for the 2011-12 academic year, said Samantha Perez, ASUI senator. Running for president and vice president are Perez and Pro Tem-

pore Juan Corona, respectively. At this point, no one is signed up to run against them, Perez said. “On Tuesday, we have a mandatory candidate meeting to go over election rules and then campaigning will begin March 21,” she said. The legislative branch of ASUI

The Vandal Voice for 112 Years

Sports, 7 Opinion, 13

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is made up of 15 senators and a protempore. The legislative branch’s job is to pass all the bills that deal with allocating funds, Perez said. “We put on events like the Beat BSU canned food drive. We’ve done a self-defense workshop, so things like that,” she said. “On the executive

branch we have several board chairs, so an example would be Vandal Entertainment board, communications board and there are also directors that focus on more specific areas. We have a director of sustainability, so they

Follow us on Twitter at @uiargonaut for breaking news.

see FUTURE, page 6 Volume 112 Issue no. 45

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Argonaut | 3.8.2011 by The Argonaut - Issuu